Weekly Wonderings 006 – Blogging

I’ve been writing for a long time but mostly science fiction and fantasy. I have a series of rough drafts of a ten thousand year history of a civilization, centering around the escapades of five royal families. So when I became involved online the desire to blog seemed like an obvious choice.

I’ve had some form of blog for a long time. I created my LiveJournal account back in September 2007. Heading there you will see I haven’t posted content in quite some time. That’s due to the purpose of my LiveJournal account. It was there as sort of a quasi journal revolving around my sci-fi/fantasy writing hobby and as a way to interact with many of my favorite authors.

My foray into regularly blogging came with my introduction to and eventual joining Craft Beer Nation. In my role there as a Hangouts On Air Technical Producer – where I run the bells and whistles of the Google Plus HOA environment – I blog about each upcoming episode of our two weekly Live Shows.

One thing I’ve learned once I began blogging with the intent of there being an actual reading audience is just how much of a completely different beast this form of writing is. I’m used to very long form writing where it takes six hundred plus pages to tell a story.

Blogging, however, needs to be crisp and concise. I need to get my point across in an informative and enjoyable way. It’s something I suspect is going to take me a while to really get the hang of.

So that’s what I’m learning to do. Hopefully. 🙂

Which brings me to this week’s Wonderings focus:

BLOGGING

Banner – CRAFT BEER

If you do a search for “Craft Beer Blogs” your search engine of choice will provide you with a whole host of choices. It takes a while to comb through them to see there are various kinds of craft beer blogs.

Craft Beer Websites

Some are full blown websites that center around the craft beer industry where a blog is but one component. These sites are dedicated to craft beer news and to sharing knowledge about the craft itself.

Some examples:

When visiting CraftBeer.com, you can expect to learn about all aspects of the amazing craft-brewed beer from America’s small and independent producers—not just how to better enjoy the beverage in your glass, but about the individuals and processes behind your beer.

Nearly four years after it began, BeerPulse is now the web’s #1 destination for beer news. It is one of the fastest-growing beer sites on the web today, serving over 200,000 visitors a month. Both beer drinkers and industry members follow our coverage focusing on small breweries, the more dynamic part of the industry. Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors and the like get their fair share of front page time.

Craft Beer Blogs

Some websites are craft beer blogs where they are relaying their personal experiences with craft beer. Some of these highlight the craft beer happenings in their local area.

Others are dedicated to reviews of all of the craft beers they drink.

There are so many different ones out there and their value to the craft beer drinker is a very subjective thing. After all, everyone’s experience with a particular craft beer or craft beer style is unique. In the end it might come down to the personal writing/reviewing style of a particular blog site.

Craft Beer Nation’s website is a blog mostly centering around our Live shows. We are looking towards the future with an eye on turning it into a full blown website. But that’s another journey. One being shared by a group of us together.

Which is where this whole blogging thing comes in and my personal challenge to myself to teach myself this kind of writing. This kind of storytelling.

It’s in my nature to research something new. To really dive deep into it. So I’ve combed the Internet to look at a whole host of blogs. And I didn’t limit myself to craft beer blogs either. I’m interested in the art of blogging itself. If there’s one thing social media is good for it’s finding people who make a living by telling other people how to do something.

This site is dedicated to helping other bloggers learn the skills of blogging, share their own experiences and promote the blogging medium.

I started ProBlogger in September 2004 mainly because I wanted to keep a record of what I was learning about blogging for money and because I wanted to connect with other bloggers making money from their blogs. Since then I’ve added well over 7000 articles, tips, tutorials and case studies to my archives here.

Darren also has a new ProBlogger Podcast which I’ve started going through. Since I’ve begun to add a companion podcast to this weekly blog series I’ve begun to dive into the podcasting world. I’ve been scouring online for various podcasting blogs and listening to a host of all different kinds of podcasts to begin to learn that medium as well.

I’m hoping my blogging will help my podcasting and vice-versa. They seem like good companion pieces and should help me progress.

My challenge to myself this year has been to get myself out there. To participate and engage more. To get more personal and to share my experiences and opinions. I’ve spent a long time on social media being an observer, soaking up information. My outward demeanor is often one of quiet observer.

Now I’m challenging myself to be more involved. To climb out on that bridge. Wait a minute you might be thinking. Isn’t it climbing out on that limb?

For me I’m sticking with bridge. A limb implies you’re out there alone. Putting myself out there and engaging online is much more a form of climbing out on that bridge. The end result is to make meaningful connections with people. There’s no one but yourself out on a limb. A bridge connects.

And hopefully along the way I’ll learn new skills and make new impactful friendships. Which will then lead to more blog posts and podcasts.

I blog about Craft Beer | Technology | Social Media | Music and a host of other topics.I work in the Information Technology field and I'm also a Moderator and Hangouts On Air Technical Producer for Craft Beer Nation.

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Charles Dunkley

I blog about Craft Beer | Technology | Social Media | Music and a host of other topics. I work in the Information Technology field and I'm also a Moderator and Hangouts On Air Technical Producer for Craft Beer Nation.
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